Veteran's Day, 2007

Click on the title to this post to connect to a suite of articles from the Boston Globe about veterans and their struggles upon return. It is worth distinguishing between opposition to national policies and wars and support for our fellow citizens who are in the military. I opposed the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and am appalled at hints that the current administration might invade Iran. But I feel deeply that the members of the armed forces are acting honorably, and should be honored and supported both in active duty and after returning. Check out this War poetry site, http://www.angelfire.com/wa/warpoetry/index.html.

The image of a candle in the window is a mixed message. Traditionally, a candle in the window is to wait for a missing loved one, and guide them home. This candle is also a candle for peace, from a website that seems to have been set up around the time the US invaded Iraq, and not updated (www.candle-for-peace.org). They invite the visitor to use the image as a banner on their website as a protest against a senseless war. I like both meanings of the image. Come home, brothers and sisters, and fight for peace. See an article from boston.com about anti-war veterans arrested for disrupting an American Legion Veterans' Day event.